Carson Tahoe Health

Food Serving Size – What’s the Magic Portion?

Often we gain weight not because of what we eat, but because we eat too much. Portion size, especially when it comes to restaurant food is out of control. As a result, many of us don’t know what an actual, healthy portion size is – most people overeat at almost every meal.

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Often we gain weight not because of what we eat, but because we eat too much. Portion size, especially when it comes to restaurant food is out of control. As a result, many of us don’t know what an actual, healthy portion size is – most people overeat at almost every meal.

So how do you watch your portion size and slim your waist line? Mentally divide your plate in half, fill the first half with vegetables/fruit, then divide the remaining half in half. Fill one of those halves with carbohydrates like pasta or rice and the other with a protein such as chicken, fish, eggs or beans. Keep this visual anytime you are about to make a food choice. If you’re just having a chicken sandwich for example remember the chicken serving should ideally fit into that quarter of the plate, add two slices of bread and fill up the rest with fresh salad or veggies.

This is by far the easiest way to control your portion size. We’ve also included a chart below with a few basic serving sizes.

One serving of… Looks like…
Cereal or baked potato Fist
Rice, pasta, potatoes, fresh fruit or ice cream ½ baseball
Salad or fruit Baseball
Cheese 4 stacked dice
Meat, fish or poultry Deck of cards
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